


Warning Signs

by Amorfati32



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Pre-Episode: s11e10 My Struggle IV ×, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 01:37:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16075631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amorfati32/pseuds/Amorfati32
Summary: Pre My Struggle IV. Based on the Tumblr prompt: Scully starts having morning sickness.





	1. Chapter 1

The first time it happens, Scully thinks nothing of it. She woke up late, skipped breakfast in order to get to work on time and it’s been a busy day so far, with no time to grab lunch. Of course she’d feel dizzy, she’d been rushed off her feet, with coffee her only friend. Mulder is sitting opposite her as she stands and sways, her balance off kilter. Within seconds he’s by her side, one arm on her elbow, the other around her waist. “Woah there Scully,” he exclaims as he helps steady her. “You okay there?”

“Yeah.” Scully pauses, waits for the room to stop spinning and then nods at him, signalling she’s fine. Feeling slightly better she steps to the side, out of his grasp. “Sorry about that,” she says, flushed and a little embarrassed. “I think I stood up too quickly.”

Mulder eyes her carefully. “Are you sure? You’re not sickening for something, are you?”

She shakes her head, half fearing that the move will trigger a fresh wave of dizziness, but thankfully the room stays still. “No.” For once Mulder appears to be the skeptical one, his expression suggesting he’s not buying it. “I haven’t eaten yet,” she protests him. “It’s likely low blood sugar level.” She’s barely said the words when Mulder takes hold of her hand and tugs her towards the door. “Mulder, what are you doing?” She glances back at the stack of files decorating their desk. “We’ve got work to do.”

“Work can wait,” he tells her, pulling her out into the hallway towards the elevator. “Your health is more important.” It’s the new Mulder, the one who knows there are more important things in life than work. Sometimes he still surprises her. She softens, realizing he’s right, then allows him to take her to lunch. As soon as she eats she feels a hundred times better, and she instantly puts the incident to the back of her mind.

xxx

Maybe she is coming down with something, Scully thinks to herself as she leans over the toilet, having just been violently sick. It had taken her by surprise, and when she’d woken up in the middle of the night she immediately felt off-kilter, getting to the bathroom just in time. She hadn’t felt right all day, her stomach off, her appetite non-existent. Somehow she’d made it through the day at work, despite spending most of it in the autopsy bay, but thankfully that meant she didn’t have Mulder watching her every move, insisting she eat or go home and rest. But as soon as she closed up her second body of the day she knew she couldn’t hold out much longer, so Scully cleaned up, showered, go into her car and drove back to her apartment, where she collapsed onto her bed and slept for three hours straight. It wasn’t until Mulder called her with the findings from his earlier interviews that she woke and after explaining she was tired and politely declining the offer of dinner, Scully hung up the phone and fell back to sleep. That was until her stomach decided it was time to wake once again.

Scully’s pretty certain there’s a bug going round the Bureau gastroenteritis often spreads fast, she knows that. She’s contemplated calling Mulder, well aware he’ll still be awake, but she doesn’t want to worry him. Besides, she’s still not used to being able to call on him again whenever she needs him. They’ve been growing closer again in recent months, much much closer, and Scully knows that Mulder is just waiting for her to say the word and move back home. She wants that too, but she’s scared, scared to rush back into anything, scared that if things go wrong a second time they’ll never find their way back to one another. So she doesn’t call, at least not until the next morning, when she explains she’s picked up a 24-hour bug of some kind and won’t come into the office today. She’s fine, she insists, she’ll sleep it off, but that doesn’t stop Mulder from popping round to her apartment that afternoon armed with a bowl of chicken soup he’d picked up from the deli round the block. Surprisingly Scully’s appetite seems to be making a return and so she tucks into her soup while Mulder looks on, his concern fading the more she eats. “Are you sure you were really sick Scully?” he teases, wrapping an arm around her as the two of them laze on the couch, the television droning on in the background. He’s in no hurry to head back to work, and Scully’s in no hurry to leave.

She says nothing, smiling softly, glad to be feeling better, and she lets his voice gently lull her to sleep.

Barely an hour later she’s kneeling in front of the toilet, throwing up the soup. This time Mulder is there to rub her back.

Xxx

It’s a stubborn sickness bug, Scully tells herself, when almost a week later she’s suddenly gets the urge to throw up. She’s back home, showering upstairs while Mulder’s busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. There’s no time to switch off the water before Scully is scrambling out of the bathtub and kneeling down, throwing up into the toilet. She pants, feeling her eyes sting with tears, and quickly flushes the toilet to disguise her retching, not wanting to worry her partner downstairs. When finally she’s spent, she leans back against the bathtub, reaching for a towel and wrapping it around herself, flinching as her arms make contact with her chest. Her breasts have been tender lately, she’s not sure why, that only used to happen when she had her period, and though they were never what she’d call regular, she’s pretty sure she hasn’t had one of those for…And that’s when it hits her. Her nausea, dizzy spells, fatigue; it’s not because she’s tired, stressed or run off of her feet. It’s not a bug passed round from person to person. No, it’s something completely different, something at one time she’d both craved and feared. The realization is enough to make her throw up once more and she’s thankful Mulder is busy downstairs rather than lurking out in the bedroom. Satisfied she’s not about to throw up again, Scully collapses back against the bathtub, tears trailing down her cheeks. She brings her shaking hands up to her midriff, settling them on her stomach. “Pregnant,” she whispers, a sob escaping. “I’m pregnant.”


	2. Chapter 2

He finds her in the bathroom, curled up against the tub, a fluffy green towel barely covering her body while the shower runs behind her. She’d been in there for some time, and as he’d come upstairs to find her and called out her name, Mulder had been concerned when Scully didn’t reply. And now his concern intensifies as he takes in her shivering form, notices the tears trailing down her cheeks. Springing into action, Mulder rushes across the room and sinks down to the floor next to his partner. “Scully? What is it?”

His voice seems to break through her thoughts, and Scully instantly tries to sit up and fails, slumping back against the tub. The towel dips even further, and Mulder lifts it back up to keep her warm. She seems shocked to see him here, and he waits as she tries to compose herself enough to speak. “What are you doing here?” she asks, pulling the towel around her.

“I called you when I came upstairs and you didn’t respond.”

“I was taking a shower.”

“On the floor?”

Scully ducks her gaze and wipes her cheeks. “I was sick,” she tells him, slowly getting to her feet. Mulder stands up with her, ready to steady her if she needs him. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“You were sick again?” She nods. “That’s a persistent bug you’ve got there Scully.” As she turns to splash her face with water, Mulder continues. “It’s because you haven’t been resting,” he tells her. “You need to get your strength back.”

“I know,” Scully replies shakily. “I will.”

Mulder eyes her cautiously, watching as she turns to move past him out of the room. “Scully?” He reaches out, placing a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. “It is just a bug, isn’t it?”

Scully glances over her shoulder and musters a smile. “Of course.” She moves out of the room quickly, leaving Mulder to switch off the shower.

Xxxx

Two nights later Mulder decides to surprise Scully with dinner at her apartment. When he arrives she – and her car – are nowhere to be seen, and he’s just about to go back home and eat a bumper meal for two by himself when he sees her driving towards him. As she parks up, he gets out of his own vehicle, grabs the takeout bag and walks towards her with a smile on his face. Scully however, doesn’t seem quite as happy to see him. “What are you doing here Mulder?” she asks as she gets out of the car and slams the door behind her. Without waiting for an answer she walks round the car to the trunk and opens it. “I thought I’d bring you Italian as an apology for today,” Mulder explains as he follows her, watching as she takes out a couple of grocery bags, and he holds his free hand out in invitation when he realizes she can’t manage them all. Scully, the stubborn being that she is, debates ignoring him but, having come to the same conclusion as him, sighs and reluctantly hands over a bag. “I’m sorry it was so manic. You must be starved.”

“I’m not hungry,” she replies, and Mulder tries not to look too wounded as he follows her towards her apartment. Scully hasn’t been herself all day, ever since she’d walked into the office only to have Mulder tell her to go home and rest. She’d insisted she was fine to stay, that she’d spent the previous day in bed, but clearly hadn’t been happy at the prospect. It didn’t help that they were snowed under and didn’t get much of a chance to grab lunch. A hungry Scully was an angry Scully, Mulder was all too aware of that. As soon as five o’clock rolled round Scully had practically sprinted for the door, so Mulder had decided an apology was in order. Now he thinks perhaps he should have waited.

“Good job I’m hungry enough for the both of us,” he tells her. She lets them into her apartment, flicking on the light while Mulder heads straight for the kitchen. He’s only been to Scully’s place a few times now, but he knows his way around already. It’s an odd apartment, not one he’d normally associate with his partner with all of its mod-cons, and it’s far removed from their house out in the country. He suspects that may have been why she chose it, because it didn’t remind her of home. Stepping into the kitchen, Mulder places the bags he’s carrying onto the counter and briefly ignores the takeout in favor of helping Scully with her groceries. Just as he reaches into the bag Scully quickly crosses the room and grabs at it, missing. “It’s fine Mulder, I can do it.”

“I’m helping.” He pulls out a bag of pasta and sets it on the side before reaching for the next item. “The quicker we get it done, the quicker you can relax and…” Mulder trails off, staring down at the box he holds in his hands. “Wh…” He pauses, looks up at Scully and then back down at the box. “Is th…Should I even ask what that’s about?” he asks her, gesturing to the pregnancy test that sits in front of him.

“I would have thought it was self-explanatory.”

Mulder’s heart is racing, and he’s not entirely sure he’s not about to vomit. For a brief second he wonders if he’s coming down with Scully’s bug and then realizes she isn’t sick at all, she’s… “You’re pregnant?”

“I’m not sure,” she tells him matter-of-factly, as though he’s inconveniencing her just by asking her these questions. “I think so.”

“You think?”

“I’m experiencing several of the symptoms, including morning sickness.”

“Morning…”

“Dizzy spells, missed period, tender breasts.” She lets out a shaky sigh. “At first I wondered if it was the menopause but…”

“But?”

“But it appears life seems to be having one last laugh at me.” She sets down the bags she’s holding, reaching into the one Mulder is guarding and pulls out three more tests, setting all but one onto the counter.

“Why didn’t you tell me Scully? Or is it not my business?” He regrets his words the instant Scully narrows her eyes, glaring at him.

“Of course it is,” she tells him. “I just wanted to make sure. I didn’t want to…”

“Didn’t want to what?”

“I didn’t want to get your hopes up, but then I realized that I don’t even know if you want this baby, if there is a baby. I don’t even know if I…I…I can’t be pregnant Mulder, I’m fifty four, I’m too old. Even if I am there are too many risks involved. I don’t even know if I can carry this baby. And then there’s William…what would he think if he knew about this?” She’s crying now, her bad mood a thing of the past. Mulder makes his way around the counter and takes her into his arms. He’s shocked, of course he is, but he knows he has to be strong, to try and hold it together for the moment. “It’s going to be okay,” he tells her, he tells himself.

“Is it?”

“Let’s not make our panic faces yet. Why don’t we find out for sure first?” he asks her, still holding the pregnancy test in his hands. Scully nods, while Mulder grabs the three other tests and then follows her towards the bathroom.

Xxxxx

At first he tries to follow her into the bathroom, but Scully stops him at the door. “I have to do this part alone,” she tells him, and leaves him outside while she closes the door and takes the tests. The door is barely closed a minute or two, but to Mulder it feels like forever, his anxiety increasing as the seconds tick by. His heart is in his mouth as he hears the toilet flush, and he’s barely moments away from knocking down the door when suddenly it opens and Scully stands before him looking lost and afraid. He instantly opens his arms and she walks into them, hugging him tightly. Feeling her shaking against him, Mulder leans down and presses a kiss to her crown. “How long?” he asks her, his throat suddenly dry.

“Another minute.”

It feels like the longest minute of his life, and he’s sure it’s the same for Scully too.

“How far along do you think you are?”

“I think around six weeks.”

Mulder mentally tries to count back, to work out where they were. “The motel?”

“I think so.”

He smiles thinly at the memory of breaking the rules of consorting on a case. “Whatever that test says Scully, we’ll deal with it.”

“How Mulder?” She looks up at him, looking so small in his arms. “How can we possibly deal with it? So many things could go wrong.”

“When has that ever stopped us doing anything?”

“This is different.”

“Exactly. It’s different this time. I’m here, and I don’t have any plans to catch a lift on a UFO anytime soon. I’m not going anywhere Scully, and we’ll be careful. You’ll get plenty of rest, I promise not to stress you out and I’ll be there for you the entire time.”

“What if something goes wrong?”

“If something goes wrong, we’ll deal with that too, together,” he replies firmly. “Do you want this baby?” he asks, already knowing the answer.

Scully nods up at him. “If there is a baby,” she tells him. “I want to try, I don’t see any other option. I just worry about what William will think.”

“William knows you love him Scully. This baby won’t change that.”

“And I worry about us. We’re old enough to be grandparents Mulder.”

“You don’t seem to have aged a day in years Scully.” Thankfully she smiles at that. “I’m used to sleepless nights and you’re used to cleaning up after me. A baby will be easy compared to that.” Mulder lifts a hand and checks his watch. “Time’s up.”

Pulling back, Scully nods, looking up at him with watery eyes. “Do you want me to go?” he asks, and she shakes her head. “Okay.” As she turns to head back in the bathroom, Mulder grabs hold of her hand and kisses it gently before releasing his hold on her once more. “Whatever happens we’ll get through this. I love you and I’ll still respect you in the morning if it’s positive.” He grins. “Hell, I’ll marry you if it’s positive.”

Letting out a deep breath, Scully walks into the bathroom, towards the sink where the four tests are waiting for her. Mulder watches with bated breath as she checks each of them, waiting for her to tell him the results. But she says nothing, instead grabbing hold of the sink and lowering her head. They’re negative, he tells himself. She’s disappointed, of course she is. Unable to deal with the tension any longer, he follows her into the bathroom, just as she turns around to face him. He stops, waiting for what feels like eternity for her to speak. “Well?” he asks eagerly, searching her expression for the answer and finding none. It’s then that he sees it, a small smile playing at her lips, the tears now beginning to spill over as he’s suddenly aware that he was wrong, very very wrong. And then Scully says the four words that make his legs buckle and his heart swell with love. “They’re positive. I’m pregnant.”


End file.
